Tomorrow officially begins the New Year. While we each focus on our personal resolutions, companies are also taking stock and setting new objectives for 2016. Tuesday we looked at the top telecom trends that marked 2015 as a game-changing year of adaptation for telecommunications providers. Today, we’ll look at three more trends that guided the industry’s newest innovations.
Telecommunications technology and services are constantly improving. We have made huge strides over the last year toward a more connected future, and providers have learned how to better serve their customers along the way. Telecom innovation has distinguished 2015 as an exceptional year, with the following three trends gaining momentum:
Gigabit Internet
Gigabit cities have started to spring up across the U.S., triggering a national interest in faster internet speed. While we have just started to explore the effects of gigabit internet, with take rates still varying dramatically between different environments, it’s clear that consumers are eager for high-quality connectivity. As mentioned in the last blog, OTT services skyrocketed in popularity, and as the surge in streaming continues, so will the demand for high-speed internet.
Expanded Products and Services
Due to new and emerging telecommunications industry threats, many providers began to diversify their products and services to compensate for a changing market. Cloud data housing, 4G technologies and new service packages are just some of the innovative ways providers are fighting competition. Creative diversification has led to some great advancement in the telecommunications industry, benefitting both the provider and the consumer.
Internet of Things
The explosion of connected devices in 2015 compounded the amount of data sharing and data storage needed globally. Savvy providers got ahead of this trend and profited from the swell in connectivity. Consumers began requiring fast, robust and reliable connections for daily functions as trivial as adjusting their home thermostats. While Internet of Things (IoT) devices could be a potential goldmine for the telecommunications industry, one question remains: will providers stand by and become “dumb” pipes that simply facilitate connectivity, or can they successfully adapt to become part of the IoT ecosystem themselves?
2015 was a progressive year for the telecommunications industry, but there are still more changes to come. We look forward to another year of trends, game-changers and breakthroughs in 2016 and beyond.